A cursory statement suggests the band’s final release falls a bit short of last year’s self-titled album. This six-track EP features a fair amount of exploration for Sirs in a fairly short amount of time, but this exploration also means you get less of the desired harshness that sets them apart.

‘Argumentative’ sees the band take a more tame approach to their familiar sound and has a low-fi finish. It is as if Sirs are trying to mediate between the sounds of both self-titled releases, and this works in their favour, assisting with a smooth transition.

‘Imposter’, differs in sound from anything the band has done before. The song has an older feeling rock sound, and almost feels a bit similar to Brit rock. The guitars are higher and cleaner, and the vocal approach is less harsh. ‘To Each His Own’ also gives off a similar vibe.

‘Shellshock’ is definitely a song to look out for. It shows the band at their best, combining both catchy vocals and guitar lines while maintaining the group's signature harshness. The song also seems to be the perfect length among some of the other, rather short, tracks.

The band drifts furthest away from their roots on ‘Coming to Kill Me’. It begins with wavering vocals that have real and honest pain in them. The song is pretty slow and has minimal instrumentation but shows the great diversity Sirs are capable of.

This EP is both a solid and exploratory final release from a great band. It’s a shame Sirs will not be making music together anymore. However, there is no doubt that Sirs have ended things on a good note.(Killyourstereo.com)

What some music is really, really good at is embracing the shittier moments of life and laughing in the face of them. It doesn’t work for everyone, of course, but there are certain artists who seem primed to tread that line; running as fast as they can down the thinnest of balance beams, trouble on one side, contentment on the other, constantly falling off on either side, but always getting back up and never, ever slowing down.

Over the last six years Aaron Maine has released eight records, under various different guises. His latest project is Porches and next week the band releases their debut full-length, the wonderfully spirited Slow Dance In The Cosmos. Unflinchingly honest and beautifully wry, it’s the kind of record that seems to have been dropped in from another era, finding itself wide-eyed and slightly lost in an age it never really feels at ease in. “I thought I saw your face in the fog, but it was just the fog” Maine sings on album centre-piece Fog Dog and that’s a somewhat fitting summation for a record that often feels slightly awry and confused but, at it’s core, is always searching and pining for something more.

A wonderfully downbeat collection of songs, Slow Dance In The Cosmos is a marvelous achievement and an album to truly lose yourself in – just don’t expect the journey back from it to be a straightforward one.

It’s a little disconcerting how much time I’ve spent on the website of The Pioneer, the student weekly of Walla Walla’s Whitman College, but the output of their alumni continues to bring me back in search of more information about my favorite Seattle bands. We’ve already talked to you about Chastity Belt and Dude York, but Tender Hip's debut, City EP, is more than enough justification to keep an eye out for the threesome of Todd Wallenius, Alex Miller, and Matt Bachmann as well.

On the surface their sound is relatively simple, consisting of wild, guitar-centric rock-and-roll with infectiously danceable shout-choruses; however, Tender Hips also have an aura of bright-eyed, unbridled conviction that, to me, makes them as akin to Vancouver’s Japandroids as to Dude York.

Personally, I can’t remember the last time I heard a more impassioned statement-of-purpose than the record's title track, “City”, which contains all of the above nuances plus a killer sax solo by Levi Gillis. Lines like, “I’m coming to your city, so batten down the hatches/Aint got no fire but a pocket full of matches” and “I can’t tell you my future, but right now that don’t matter” are both a credo and a warning from the young band and the message comes across loud and clear: Tender Hips have arrived.

With their 2010 debut, “Celebrate Your Loss”, Hella Comet already impressively proved that indie rock does not always have to be what you would usually expect to hear. Listening to the recently released album “Wild Honey” (Noise Appeal Records), the Styrian band presents their own version of this style with a lot more musical facets than you are normally used to. From the overall sound to the songwriting, from the melodies to the arrangements, everything is a tad more sophisticated, thoughtful and lively, and shows that the four musicians definitely know how to serve up their ideas with an extra boost of energy and an exceptionally high degree of variety.

Although one can not quite deny the band’s affinity to the indie rock sound of the 90′s in the style of bands like Smashing Pumpkins or Sonic Youth, Hella Comet have a lot more to offer in terms of innovative songwriting, without the need to reproduce already known quotes of rock history. The four band members know how to charge a song with a certain mood and their own unique touch, creating an atmospheric tension over breaks, clever progressions and longer instrumental interjections. In this respect, Franz “Frente” Gurt, Jürgen “Jure” Hochsam, Markus “Maex” Sworcik and Lea Sonnek also sometimes convert to more post-rock climes, giving their tracks all the time needed to reach their fullest potential.

This certain “extra” that enhances the really bold, but also refreshingly edgy produced songs of the Styrian band is also evident in the fact that they often leave well-known indie-rock structures to let the individual songs develop a life of its own. At the point where other formations are content with bringing their songs to an end in simple verse-chorus forms after two to three minutes, Frente, Jure, Maex and Lea seem to just get started with gaining momentum. The songs begin rather quietly and slowly, but soon pile up with huge guitar walls and then switch back to a rather reduced, but steadily increasing middle part, which is then finished off with several minutes of a beautiful noisy finale. This convoluted style is repeated in modified form in almost every song, which ultimately turns the whole album into a very varied and exceptional sound journey.

With “Wild Honey” Hella Comet definitely demonstrate that new creative visions and ideas in the field of indie rock are still possible, as long as you follow your own path.

You know that feeling you get when you discover a great new band and can barely wait for them to release their new record? Receiving the vast amount of music we get here at The Sound Of Confusion that feeling is increasingly rare, and that's in part due to a lot of it being substandard, and in part due to there being so much that we find new favourite bands on a regular basis. For me personally, Parisian quartet Verera 4brought back all those feelings of excitement that pre-date the internet (in common use anyway) and took me back to the days of listening to the alternative shows on late-night radio, waiting to see if the song I liked would be played, and then saving my pennies to buy a copy (if I could get one, being a fan of less well-known music in a remote location meant a lot of phone calls and then waiting for the postman...).

It was lead-track 'Deaf Heartbeats' that sealed it. A stunning shoegaze/pop-rush of melodic wonder. It was like someone firing liquid gold out of the speakers. Now the EP is here, if any of the rest lives up to that song then euphoria will kick in. Second track 'Home' creeps up and then bursts forth with a beat from the height of baggy and affected guitar to match. It's a little slower but it gives proof that the opener is no one-off; this is also dripping in melody and sprinkled with gold dust. It's what half of the British indie bands have been trying to do this year, only better. Talking of better, Venera 4 step it up a gear again on 'Blood', another tune that uses sounds from the same era; the treated guitar, the lively beats, the synths, the pure tune that people would sell their souls for. 'Deaf Hearts' it turns out, isn't a let-down at all, and they're not done yet. 'Ash & Gray' is more of the same with a slight alteration that sees screeching, tortured instruments do battle with the female vocal and the pace of the song that breathes life while the instruments slowly die. They finish-up with the track that acted as our introduction to the band, the epic dreamgaze of 'Haunted Summer'. Consider euphoria reached.(The Sound of Confusion)Deaf Hearts EP by VENERA 4Winter Sessions by Venera 4

Great music can cause both wanted and unwanted effects. When the inevitable earworm is playing in your head after hearing a brilliantly catchy song, it’s kind of wonderful. When it persists, and you find yourself sleeplessly wandering through madness at 2am, it’s not as wonderful.

Such is the issue with the new Gingerlys single “Summer Cramps,” and its two B-sides. It has been almost a full day now that I’ve had the ambient melodies and wordless refrains playing on repeat in my head. These are not songs teeming with complexity. These are songs stripped down to their purest intentions. Every instrument is played with a refined purpose, and an incredibly simple hook is constantly coming through either a synth line or understated lyrics.

The elements in the songs come together in a way that almost places them in juxtaposition; the calm, alluring vocals are complemented by the driving, energetic drums that propels them. The airy synth is put in place by the constant and crisp guitars. It’s a mash of ideas that come together in amazing coherence.

I feel a certain disclaimer should be issued with these two songs. If you like synth driven indie rock with nods to shoegaze and pop-punk, check it out. If you are afraid of music so catchy and well crafted that you will listen to it repeatedly and possibly have it stuck in your head for weeks, proceed with caution. But you’ll probably be doing yourself a favor by listening to it.
-Josh Aubin (Mama Coco's Funky Kitchen)

"The songs favor power-pop and shoegazer influences with British (Teenage Fanclub, Ride) and North American flavours (Guided by Voices, Pernice Brothers). Upholding tradition in this genre, melodies jump to the ear, simple, round, but never obvious." (Bandcamp)transcontinental by Churrus

diumenge, 22 de desembre de 2013

Postpunk? Shoegaze? Pop? Hermetic Delight aren't afraid to play with aesthetics, embracing a singularidentity.The band has been delivering a harsh and mesmerizing noise for two years now.Led by a relentless rythm, their luminous voice builds an electrifying atmosphere.Live, they warn the audience : sensory trauma is standing close.. (Bandcamp)To The Grave To The Rave!!! by HERMETIC DELIGHT

The Digital Noise Academy, also known as DNA, is a collaborative project between six musicians and producers including Ken Andrews and Jordon Zadorozny formerly of 90’s alternative bands Failure and Blinker The Star, along with Sharky Laguana of Creeper Lagoon, singer-songwriter Charlotte Martin, Fernando Sanchez, and former Beck bassist and M83 producer Justin Meldal-Johnsen. Together, they combine electronica and power-pop leaning alt-rock along with their collective experiences into a nostalgia-laced yet unique and modern sound that is experimental while also holding true to each musician’s distinct musical "DNA".
“Stop Running” opens the album with churning, early Smashing Pumpkins-like swirls of guitars and a propulsive rhythm. Charlotte Martin, who has lent her voice to electronica tracks by The Crystal Method and Tiesto is put to great use on the slinky, synth-driven standout single, “Melting Inside”, with its danceable beat and bubbly vocal melodies. The title track, “Synemy” opens with soft, cascading guitars before launching into a soaring chorus with cosmic synths and sci-fi imagery. Two other standout tracks on the ten-song album are “Thursday Night Party”, reminiscent of cult favorites Failure with its chugging guitar rhythm; and Zadorozy’s sparkling vocals and the squelching electronics of “Circulation”, that recalls Andrew’s electronica-inspired solo project, ON.
After perfectly combining all of their collective experiences and influences into one cohesive and captivating sound, the six musicians of The Digital Noise Academy have hit the right notes once again on their new album, Synemy. (Atlas and the Anchor)

My life is going through some major changes, and consequently have been neglecting this Tumblr. I meant to post so many things, but don’t have time/energy to do so. Just right now I can write a nice review ofSussed by The Foggy Notions. I’ve been very vocal in the past about my love for this Saskatoon band. Plus, they are SUPER NICE people, and sent me a copy of this wonderful album even before it was available online, so THANK YOU GUYS! Actually, I was gone to LA during the time that they had their album release show in Saskatoon and I was going to post about it (had it written and everything) but the connection failed me. I was kind of hoping that they would come to Edmonton around this time and wanted to praise the album then, but I don’t think it’s happening any time soon. So now it’s the time!

Compared to their previous record, “Beginning to see”, “Sussed" has a fresher sound, with very distinct catchy and sweet dream pop songs. You can tell its shoegaze and early 90s Brit bands influences (e.g., Stone Roses), but still creating their unique sound. Anyhow, just listening to it, makes you feel in a better mood. I find myself sometimes humming their songs while doing dishes, or walking around, and believe me the same thing will happen to you after you listen to it!

The album opens with “One comes out alive”, which is an upbeat song, and has some awesome 90s-like keyboards, perfect to open the album and a personal favourite. Once the song is over, there’s a crescendo into “Shimmer”. In this song, Janice’s soothing vocals are more prominent, transporting you into a softer world. “Won’t take long” has more of psychedelic vibe, and the keyboards in this song are perfect! “What’s the difference” follows, this song was the teaser of the album and I already reviewed it in the past and said “This tune is like being in the middle of a sunflower field turning and sunbathing under a beautiful clear sky.”- I still think the same. “Love theme” is a simple but whimsical pop song sung entirely by beautiful Janice (I think I have a girl crush on her). Then, “Happiness” gets more upbeat, another catchy power pop song. “Nastro Elettrico”, an instrumental trippy song, leads the way to “Into the ocean”, another spot-on dream pop hit for me. Last, but definitively not least, one of my favourite songs of the album (I think I have too many favourites but whatever) and the perfect way to end this awesome project, “Sgt. Cribbs”.

I don’t know how much thought they put into the order of the songs, but the album flows seamlessly. I was already a fan of this band, and “Sussed" only reinforced my feelings. I just can’t wait to hear them playing live, because they sound amazing. Just take a listen to it, all the hard copies are sold out I believe, but you can get the download for $7. It’s nothing, and you’d be supporting one of the best Canadian bands. If don’t believe me, just listen to their songs. (Lovelessounds)

The first thing that hits you when you listen to opening track Sinking Ship is how confident Shy Nature already are in their sound. Clearly influenced by the likes of the Mystery Jets, the music is breezy, upbeat and features strong guitar hooks too. Combine this with strong beat drops and a catchy keyboard riff and you soon start to see that Shy Nature and doing indie-rock right. It’s not all that light-hearted though – lead singer William‘s voice has a distinctive twang which perfectly communicate the introspective nature of their lyrics. “You’re standing by my sinking ship, watching me as the tide appears, sinking further in” – not only do these guys have something to say, but they’ve found a pleasing way to say it.

The second track, Fine, is slightly less jangly, but confidently continues to cement their sound andWashout sees Will singing about the pressures of succeeding in school. Certainly, there’s a theme: according to the band their music is “centered lyrically around themes of growing up” – and this EP goes a long way to get across that sense of nostalgia. Check out the video for Washout below to see what we mean.

A Thousand Minds is the final track on the EP and it has more of a wandering vibe than the other tracks, but don’t you think that it has no direction. Shy Nature use music breaks to their advantage and the track, as well as the entire EP, is a joy to experience. Not only have they got their sound nailed but the arrangement of the tracks makes it feel like you’re listening to a band who have been around the block rather than relative newcomers to the scene. Everything just feels right: driving drums and catchy riffs are complimented perfectly by Will’s vocals. Our opinion? Great indie-rock which, not that it needs to, can only get better.

As I’ve expressed before, we’re in a desperate need of more bands like Radical Dads. They are fun, unpredictable and a welcomed contrast to the dreamy/shoegaze-y state of current indie rock. Earlier this year, the band released their sophomore album Rapid Reality, a relentless, no-bullshit album filled with clever, straight-to-the point melodies. Their new single, “Creature Out” follows in a similar vein as the punchier, adrenaline-pumping tracks of Rapid Reality. Lindsay Baker sounds increasingly self-assured as the leadvocalist and the production sounds cleaner and fuller than anything they’ve released hitherto. For those of you who’ve been following the Brooklyn trio’s career, than let me assure you; this one-off single rank amongst their very best, and the same goes for the lovely B-side ,“Slammer”.(ifm)Creature Out by Radical Dads

Been meaning to get to these guys for a couple weeks now. Whatever! Been busy! Anyways, they gave me permission to refer to them as a Donovan Wolfington side project, but they only really share one member so in my eyes Pope really stand on their own. Taking some cues from Dinosaur Jr. and Weezer, Pope play a grunged-out brand of pop rock that, in spurts, reminds me a bit of what LVL UP and Spook Housesare doing. And that’s not bad at all.

The band is taking to the road for an interesting mini tour that hopes to merge music with visual art. Here I’ll just let band member Alex explain it to you:

We are doing a special sort of EP release where we are taking our buddy’s photography on the road to Houston, Nashville, and New Orleans. The idea is that music and photography go hand in hand and hopefully it will provide a more engaging and interesting music release experience.We are doing 50 unique prints for each city, and a selection of those will be up online as well. The first release is in Nashville on November 15th and we are trying to get some write ups and listeners before then to give the shows a little more impact and get more checking out the photos and the music.

Cool, right? Anyways, grab the guys’ EP Known Weed Smoker and then catch them on the road if you can.(Cactus-Mouth)

Newcastle slacker-punks The Gooch Palms have unveiled their brand new single NOVO’S today, crafting a scuzzy world of fuzzed out debauchery and an unhealthy amount of good times. The track is shiny like a new revolver and ready to be consumed with its own music video, as the band gear up for the release of their upcoming full-length.

NOVO’S, the title and lead single from the upcoming album has been paired with just the sort of manic footage that can match its own sonic chaos, with scenes from the 1979 Star Hotel riots which rocked Newcastle. The single, along the rest of the album was penned and tracked at Gooch HQ a.k.a Gooch Farm over a 24 hour period before being shipped abroad for mixing by NOBUNNY guitarist Jason Testasecca.

The duo that is Leroy MacQueen & Kat Friend won’t let you hide from their surf-punk wall-of-sound and have announced a run of headlining tour dates for October, including a secret Sydney performance, for which the venue is yet to be announced. (Mike Hohnen)

Ghost Wave’s debut album, Ages, spins like a time machine caught in endless loops, sandwiching the liberating freedoms of the ’60s and the hazy psychedelic rock of Flying Nun Record’s ’80s catalog to manifest a lush rock ‘n’ roll force. While their first showing proves to appeal enough for a surface-level listen, it fails to pursue past that base enjoyment.

In an effort to make their retro-leaning rock relevant to today’s standards, Ghost Wave drives their instruments through distortion recalling modern, noisy psychedelia like Deerhunter, penning groovy jams that could last for hours. Frontman Matthew Paul leads the band to ”react to the change” as he coasts with a natural, laid-back rock demeanor and occassional sassy vocal punctuation. The band follows with a dominant forefront of distortion and a perseverance to reshape the leading melodies in unity. This is especially evident in “Bootlegs”, as they trade off between full-band ruckus and string-exclusive headbanging.

“Arkestra” serves as the centerpiece of Ages, an instrumental stratosphere of psychedelic warps, its dynamics fluidly shifting to intermittently excite and calm the ears. The album is loaded with a mastery of structure and instrumentation, but the band comes up short in breaking this stagnancy, the tracks too easily blending into each other in a forgettable wash.

The instant gratification from their instrumental highlights doesn’t last forever, either, which is all the more obvious when the band runs out of steam for the final two tracks. Instead of giving these tracks free reign for exploration, they’re cut short and overstuffed with too many tricks. Ghost Wave know their flavors, but they have to infuse some more spirit and variety, in order to do their talents justice.

Caught in a Summer Swell, the first full-length from the band in Heaven, isn’t lamenting being trapped in an endless summer; it is wholly accepting it. Each repetitive, glowing progression is another step deeper into a sun-soaked, psychedelic landscape. These summer anthems of Caught in a Summer Swell are decorated with fun synths glossed with dreamy effects and sweet harmonies on guitar and vocals alike.

The album opener, “Dandelion Wine,” is a jovial first step into The Band in Heaven’s summer swell. It’s catchy, and each soaring riff builds into the next in the shoegaziest of fashions. The two singers plead that “the summer sun will set, won’t stay too long,” and as the song dies, the guitarist holds onto the main riff, as if to never let go of that setting sun.

The soft hum of an accordion sets the pace for one of the calmer tunes on this album, “Tunnel Into Your Dreams.” Though delayed guitars again take their important place, this track stands out among the rest with a higher level of maturity. Violins vibrate along with the melody, and even when the beat picks up, the song remains peaceful. “Tunnel Into Your Dreams” is the most original track on Caught in a Summer Swell.

On “Fairweather Friends,” the clean guitar and vibrato vocals elicit an R.E.M. vibe, and as the chorus bursts with joy from the morose verse, one can see the huge influence of bands like My Bloody Valentine and Modest Mouse.

On the track “Does it Show,” classic reverbed-out guitars and shimmering ’80s sound effects mingle with a distorted guitar and phased-out noises. “Does It Show” is exemplary of the band in Heaven’s sound, and its over-attachment to this sound. If the band asking, “Does it show?” then the answer is yes: this patchwork of classic sounds is clearly derivative.

It’s no fault of The Band’s that it has perfected its own collage of sound, though it leaves Caught in a Summer Swell feeling stale and caught in its own humid air. On the track “Music Television,” the band garners a particularly palatable sound that would be fitting on the channel it is ostensibly referencing. The drum fills are predictable and the youthful lament is trite (see: “Young and Dumb”).

For some, this sound comes at the perfect time and is the perfect blend of what a 30-something is looking for in music. For others, it’s standard, even in light of the talented songwriting.

The band in Heaven tagged itself on Bandcamp as Shitgaze, which sounds like just another uber-specific sub-genre to be lost in a sea of music snobbery, but somehow, it fits. It has the keenest of pop sensibilities, and every track has its own golden moment or melody that harps back to the sunnier days of the early ’90s. It’s perfect for its context, though this comes at the expense of original sound. (Eric Witt)

"Somehow they’ve managed to capture that early pop sound, a sound that so many in the modern music scene have tried to revive. They captured the sound and they pushed it further, a feat in any genre." - Dingus

"I dig the sound that Layne Montgomery creates, and he seems to be having a lot of fun, even when he’s singing about heartbreak." - Music Defined

"Described in 5 words: Catchy, fun songs about stuff" - the 405

"Their raw Arctic Monkeys-meets-Beach Boys sound...[is] a testament that these guys need to be signed. This album can’t be missed; it’s filled with beautiful lyrics, catchy music that’ll bring back memories of favorite 60’s rock bands, and a stellar rhythm section that pushes that 60’s rock sound forward into the 21st century." - Cracked Vinyl:( by The Great American Novel

This winter was another hard one for me, and then it ended on a particularly rough note with a whole bunch of life stuff that I shouldn’t talk about in this context. I have been forced to remember the transience of life, the lasting influence of love, and the power of creative expression. These are good things to remember, but it was a hard few things that lead to it. And it’s been cold. It’s been rainy, and windy, and grey as fuck.

But a few days ago, the sun came out, and the skies were blue again. And then, on the second sunny day, a dude I know declares that a project he played some guitar on’s new EP is up on bandcamp (10” vinyl available soon), and I went and listened to it, and wouldn’t you know, it was the perfect thing: perfect for an emergence in to spring, and perfect for a re-emergence in to my own sense of wellbeing. It was relieving to have this album all up in my ears as I went about my business on these sunny days.

Ambient and dream-poppy, with a twinge of the swamp-sound that bubbles under Melbourne’s musical landscape, this predominantly bedroom-written album is a bit darker than similar styles I’ve been hearing coming out of other cities in recent years. Hell, I’ve never actually heard a slacker/dream pop band from Melbourne before, so I’m pretty fascinated by this. It’s got layers of pretty things, and nice reverb, and twinkling stuff and one track (“Down Under”, the stand out track for me) even has guitars that sound like waves rolling along the coastline, if waves were more melodic than percussive.

Angus Bell is the dude behind The Galaxy Folk, joined occasionally by collaborator Isaac Wright, with instrumental contributions by Alex Burt, Abi Wright, Cale Foley and Mike Lillis in both live and recorded situations. Bell makes pains to emphasise the “electronic” nature of these recordings: “This is not a representation of a band, this is an electronic album”, I suppose for the sake of differentiating the act of writing/recording from that of performing. It’s a different feeling, and you can tell by these sounds that this guy takes his feelings seriously.

He keeps away from the noisier, fuck-it-all attitudes taken by many of his musical peers, though he is just as driven to express his disaffected youth-ness. Instead, Bell has withdrawn into a private world for his colder, darker moments; it seems aggression just isn’t in his nature, which is a seemingly rare trait in the circles I met him in. The melodies are wistful, playful, lovely, and relaxed, though tinged with a soft dispiritedness…

I believe him when he says on the band’s Unearthed page that: “the music gets me through”, because amongst the nice prettiness, I can also hear the bleakness of addiction. I can hear the needles that plague too many friends, and the years of hangovers, and the cigarettes, the depressive cycles and anxious thoughts. I can hear sleepy disillusionment. I can hear a struggle to be heard clearly, to express freely, to find meaning in his existence. It is a sweetly personal collection of songs, but it’s also a straight up chiller if you’re in to the poppier, cuter side of music making; especially if you’re a fan of Galaxie 500 or Seabear.

I asked Angus a few questions about the album and his background, and I think his straightforward response, which I’ve edited a little for make-benefit-reading online, reads better as a whole chunk than in broken up bits throughout the rest of this review:

“My dad played in a couple of bands in the 80’s. I remember he was still rehearsing in a band called (might have been) Beargarden when I was pretty young. I remember vividly when they were jamming in our study- I was playing along with a plastic Stratocaster with no strings, and my older brother was shredding like Warren Ellis on his violin.

My dad had a pretty big impact on my musical taste, one of those men who was very anal about the state of his sound system; there are always a few good “dinner table” albums that I revert back to when I want to feel nostalgic.

I was given a guitar for Christmas at some stage in 90’s, still riding the wave of Nirvana. “Come as you are” was the first riff I learned (little fact: Kurt Cobain killed himself on my birthday). Did a couple of years of mild guitar lessons in primary school, grew some pimples. Then ended up in a pseudo-reggae band with some printing factory work colleagues. Alex, Isaac, Cale, Bad Fingers and Moisty had all started up a band called “Cordyceps”. I somehow convinced them to let me be their “drone machine” player. Every song went for about 15 minutes. Alex even had a beard at the time (Tahlia’s note: Alex no longer has a beard, and I can’t imagine him with one; it would be weird).

Around this time I got pretty into song writing, and just started experimenting with recording my own songs at home. I experimented a lot with layers and layers of guitars and vocals, and obviously reverb, and got pretty obsessed with it.

I recorded a couple of EPs, and by the time I wrote an album I had the name “The Galaxy Folk”. I started up a 3 piece band, with the intention of playing the songs, but as the band grew we kind of just started playing our own kind of thing; it seemed a little sterile just to make everyone play exactly what I did for the sake of the acid test.

At the end of the day, I’m still making songs at home and making different songs with the band, I enjoy them both for different reasons; its just some kind of hybrid I guess.

In this day and age there is no need to spend all your time and money in a recording studio, with little resources you can pretty much do whatever you want. And I guess that’s what its about.” (Cool Perth Nights)

Brooklyn’s Invisible Days are a simple band, a trio whose two favorite things in life are “hamburgers and volume”. But over the course of just two releases, the Polaurora EP and the “Solitary Time” b/w “Stewards” single, vocalist-guitarist Sean Finnigan, bassist Alex Koch, and drummer Michael Petrucelly have taken that easygoing approach and forged a deceptively intricate blend of shoegaze. Inspired in part by ’90s pioneers like Ride and Stone Roses and contemporaries like Deerhunter and Kurt Vile, their sound is as assaultive and chaotic as it is poppy and alluring. For a taste, the band have unveiled the B-side single “Needles”.

While other entries in the catalog better display their affinity for dissonance, this latest number is firmly rooted in a pop tradition. The strummy guitar that slowly flows along, the dreamy, quasi-sexually ambivalent harmonies, and the overall breezy tone make for universal accessibility. But pervading that poppy core is an intensity and sense of restrain, as if any moment the dam could burst and out pours layers of righteous feedback. It’s that kind of subtlety and playfulness that makes their noise-rock more than mere bedlam.(Consequence of sound)

The sick part of the 60s came back to life in the 90s when a bunch of bands from the UK figured out how to do those supremely nasty Ron Asheton guitar leads, and that’s the sound of locals Drinking Flowers, too—two continents, two generations and probably the first two Stooges LPs all dissolved into one boiling ball of acid. (Thanks to my stomach doctor for that little image.) People may say there’s Spacemen 3 happening here, but this is way more like early Telescopes and even more like Loop, who made raw meat out of riffs and repetition. The guitars are produced perfectly for this kind of thing here—you can hear the friction and heat between every coil on the strings—and each song is its own study in psychedelic unraveling. The first three on this EP just saw away at you, and then it splits into a stomper called “Sink,” a viber called “Animals” that sounds like a Jesus and Mary Chain demo and an awesome wasted one called “Vibrating Violence.” Warlocks fans should check this out and Cosmonauts fans have probably seen these guys play already. The songs start to sting after a while, but that’s how you know they’re working.—Chris ZieglerSanity Restored 1972 by Drinking Flowers

There are times when the music leaps from your speakers and fills your ears with goosebump-inducing melodies. The first time that I listened to The Moas, it felt instantly familiar, yet refreshingly new. When you look back at the history of music, from The Beatles-led British invasion to Athens scene that produced REM to the Manchester scene championed by bands like Happy Mondays, there were always sections of the world that seemed to be the primary source of great music. Because music has become more global, bands seem to sprout from every corner of the Earth. To discover that The Moas are from Saskatoon doesn’t even surprise me at this point, even though they’re the first band that I’ve interviewed from that part of Canada. I stumbled upon them via Bandcamp, immediately fell in lust and then tracked them down, so that I could share them with the world. Meet The Moas. ( The dumbing of america)

Three albums in three years? What is this, the 1970s? I suppose when you're not signed to a label that doesn't require you to tour nine months out of the year anything is possible. As I've mentioned in previous features for their Spark Flame Ember Ash and Winter Garden Light albums, this Terry Banks-led D.C. quartet are not about full fledged Wire worship, as their moniker might suggest. There are vague parallels (coincidentally in the vocal department) but as evidenced on the bulk of Half-Remembered Dream, Dot Dash are downplaying some of their chillier post-punk inclinations for a slightly more streamlined guitar-pop bent. Even when they're tamping down demons of yore on "Here's to the Ghosts of the Past" and decrying character flaws in "Shopworn Excuse," the actual delivery of these songs is fairly strident. Elsewhere, "Bloom/Decay" and "Do Re Mi" travel a similar sonic motif, simultaneously offering some of Dot Dash's boldest melodies to date. Half-Remembered's real corker would have to be the penultimate "A Light in the Distance," an incisive, power-chord driven slammer that propels the band into Superchunk-esque punk environs. The concluding "The Sound in Shells" brings things back down to Earth for a smooth touchdown. Perhaps not as dazzling as last year's Winter Garden Light, HRDmakes the case that's it still a great time to be a Dot Dash fan. (Wilfully Obscure)

Columbus, Ohio (they are sadly not from Defiance*) band All Dogs released their debut 7″ on Salinas Records earlier this month. The aptly titled 7″ is full of the band’s signature (can such a new band even have a signature?) downtempo pop-punk, distinguished by singer Maryn Jones’ sweet sincerity. You can buy the vinyl version from Salinas’ website or get the digital version from All Dogs’ Bandcamp. @emilywherever7" by all dogs